DogTime’s top 10 dog news stories in 2012

ByMike Dogtime

In countdown format, here are the top 10 news stories that generated the most traffic on DogTime.com in 2012:

10. Dog bites anchor on live TV: It seemed like a great idea: Reunite on live TV an Argentine Mastiff named Max with the man who rescued the dog from an icy lake. Unfortunately, the reunion didn’t go as planned, as the dog bit television newscaster Kyle Dyer in the face when she got too close to the pooch. After spending some time in the hospital for reconstructive surgery, Dyer returned to the airwaves with no regrets; after 10 days in mandatory quarantine, Max returned to his family. The incident lent itself to a meaningful conversation about how dogs verbally and nonverbally communicate to humans.

9. Pit Bull pup burned by acid is in recovery: This year had no shortage of horrific tales of animal abuse, and the story of a Pit Bull pup with acid burns who was found on the streets of South Carolina cemented the unfortunate fact that humans do rotten things. The Noah’s Arks Rescue took the pooch in, named him Freddy, and worked tirelessly to heal and the animal. Freddy’s tale had a happy ending: he had an excellent recovery and was adopted by a loving family.

4. 500 caged dogs saved from slaughter in China: A truck carrying 500 dogs (packed into 156 cages) destined for slaughter at a food-processing plant in China was stopped by animal lovers. The starving and mistreated animals were unloaded and cared for. But after the police arrived and ordered the animals loaded back on the truck, an unnamed donor paid the driver $10,000 to buy the animals in order to save them.

3. Actor commits suicide after dog is euthanized: Soap opera star Nick Santino (Guiding Light, All My Children) loved his Pit BullRocco, and couldn’t bear living without the animal at his side. Although he was able to keep the dog after a no Pit Bull policy was implemented at his apartment complex, harassment from his neighbors forced Santino to put the animal down. Shortly afterward, Santino took his own life with an overdose of sleeping pills. In a suicide note the man wrote, “Rocco trusted me and I failed him. He didn’t deserve this.”